Latch.



No. 723,846. l PA'I'NTED MAR. 3l, 1908.

M. W. DODGE.

LATCH.

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VNITED STATES PATENT Prion.

MILES DODGE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,846, dated March 31, 1903.

Appiitaatuadapals,1902. serit1No.1o1,14e. cromati.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Beit known that I, MILES W. DODGE, acitizen of the United States, residingv at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia. and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches, of which the following is a specification;

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and eflcientlatch for doors, whereby said doors may be tightly closed, opened, and heid in the closed position until the latch is operated.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a portion of a door, the jamb therefor, and myimproved latch. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation as on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a plan View of Fig. l.

A designates a portion of a door, B the jamb therefor, and O my improved latch. The latch in its preferred form comprises a bracket d, secured to the door by means of screws d and provided with projecting bearings d2, to which is fitted the pivot-stud d3 of a hand-lever D. One end of the pivot-stud d3 projects outwardly beyond the door and is provided with a short arm d4, which carries on its free end a pawl d5.

E is a bracket secured`to the jamb B, adjacent the bracket d on the door, by means of a bolt e. This bracket E projects outwardly in the path of the pawldand is provided with a series of teeth e', which are adapted Ato be engaged by said pawl.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that if the pawl d5 be engaged with one of the teeth e' and the hand-lever D be lowered to the position shown in the drawings the door will be tightly closed, and the pivot will pass the center line between the stud d3 and the point of the pawl engaging the bracket E, thereby locking the door in the closed posit-ion until the lever D be again raised. The parts normally assume this locking position by the gravity of the hand-lever D when the door is closed without touching said lever.

This invention is especially adapted for use in connection with doors that are required to be tightly closedsuch, for example, as refrigerator-doors. These doors do not always properly tit the jamb, owing to different conditions of the atmosphere and the wearing of the parts, and it is sometimes difficult to get a tight union between the door and the jamb.

By raising the land-lever D and engaging the pawl d5 with one of the outer teeth e and then lowering saidlever the arm d? and pawl d5 act as a toggle, and the door is forced inward. 'Ihe hand-lever may then be again raised and the pawl (Z5 engaged with the next inward tooth c', whereupon said lever is again lowered, and so on step by step until the door is forced tightly against the jamb. The hand-'lever being left inthe down position locks the door closed, as above described, irrespective of the position of the pawl d5 along the series of teeth e.

In order that the latch may be operated from either side of the door, I arrange a bar F in the path of the hand-lever D. This bar projects through and is fitted to an opening in the door and is provided with a handle f, by means of which the hand-lever may be raised and the latch operated from the opposite side of the door.

The bracket E is provided with a projection e2, which is arranged above the arm d4, so that when the handlever D is raised the arm d will take against the projection e2 in a manner to disengage the door from the jarnb.

l. A door-latch comprisinga lever adapted to be pivoted tothe door, a toothed bracket adapted to be secured to the jamb, and a pawl pivoted to said leverand adapted to engage the bracket, the pivotal connection of the pawl being located between the fulcrum of the lever and the portion of the bracket engaged bythe pawl whereby a toggle action is effected.

2. A door -latch comprising a toothed bracket adapted to be secured' tothe j'amb, a pair of lever-arms, a stud connecting said arms and-adapted to be pivoted to the door, and a pawl pivoted to one of said arms, the pivotal connection of the pawl being located between the stud and the portion of the bracket engaged by the pawl whereby a toggle action is effected.

IOO

3. A door-latch comprising a leveradapted to be pivoted to the door, a toothed bracket adapted to be secured to the jamb, a paw] pivoted to said leverand adapted to engage the bracket, and a bar projecting through said door and adapted to operate said lever, the pivotal connection of the pawl being located between the fulerum of the lever and 'the portion of the bracket engaged by the pawl whereby a toggle action is effected.

4. A doorlatch comprising a bracket adapted to be secured to the jamb and pro- 

